By now, we know what to expect from an Example single: A singy bit, a rappity rapping bit, a bit for "da club", a big old chorus and lyrics that really make you think about what you are feeling.
His new single, Say Nothing, ticks all of those boxes, and some other boxes we hadn't associated with Example before, eg the box for people who steal the "woah-oh-ah-oh" bit off Coldplay's Viva La Vida.
This blatant commercialism might ruffle a few feathers but, as Example has said on many occasions, he wants to make dance music that works in stadiums. In that context, cribbing from Chris Martin's Big Fun Scrapbook of Rock Cliches ("Chapter four: Paul McCartney always finishes with Hey Jude for a reason") isn't such a bad idea.
Lyrically, I'm particularly enamoured with the line: "We used to have our eggs sunny side up / But the fun dried up". Because nothing expresses the head-first depth charge of falling in love more accurately than a plate of fried eggs. Nothing.
A semi-regular round-up of videos and songs I haven't had the chance to blog about over the last seven days. This week's all-star cast includes.
1) The Killers - Runaway
"Urgh," you will think, "this video is as uninspired and dull as the song". But stick around - what begins as a tedious studio performance slowly goes all sci-fi, with the band perched atop intergalactic floating platforms and zooming down a Tron-inspired highway, all designed by former Lucasfilm employee Warren Fu.
I am particularly jealous of Brandon Flowers glowing red mic stand (not a metaphor).
2) Yeasayer - Longevity
More trippy neon graphics abound in this video from Brooklyn's Yeasayer. "Live in the moment, never count on longevity," intones Chris Keating over a drawling funk beat, apparently inspired by Aaliyah. . The band have always straddled the line between experimental and accessible, and this song is no exception. Much love for the middle eastern strings in the fade out.
3) The Veronicas - Lolita
Australia's most successful twins since Gayle and Gillian are back with their first new material since 2007's Hook Me Up. Apparently its taken so long because the sisters fell out during their last tour. "We couldn't stand being in the same room as one another," Jess told The Music Fix. "I just needed to go and read some books, she [Lisa] needed to go and hang out in Nashville and play some blues music."
As you can hear, there is absolutely no blues influence on Lolita, which sounds like Tatu frenching Marilyn Manson in the bondage club from The Matrix Reloaded.
Curtain rises: We are in a public house. Cheryl is filing her nails. They are blue.
Clock: It is midday. Or midnight. Either way, Cheryl is suddenly alert. Her eyes move. There is a sound effect, because Cheryl has bionic eyes.
Bottom: A picture of Cheryl's bottom.
Jukebox: Cheryl presses some buttons. The music stops (??) A siren can be heard in the distance.
DOT COTTEN ALERT: Cheryl looks like she is going to smoke a cigarette. But at the last minute she throws it on the floor. A lucky escape. Nick O'Teen is defeated again.
Exterior, day: We are in a street of terraced houses. A man is in a phone box. Cheryl taps on the door to tell the man that no-one uses phone boxes these days, using the gift of mime.
First verse: "We all got lonely days," sings Cheryl. A elderly woman looks on disapprovingly. She mainly disapproves of the poor grammar.
Thump: Cheryl walks into a man, just like Richard Ashcroft in the Bittersweet Symphony video, if Richard Ashcroft was wearing a lemon bra.
Clarification: I mean a yellow bra, not a bra made of lemons. Although that would be amazing, too.
Here is the best bit of the song: A half-bar rest between the bridge and the chorus. Subversion of anticipation is an incredibly powerful and under-used songwriting technique. Bravo.
Chorus: Some men lift Cheryl onto a car bonnet and we nearly see some under-boob. Can someone tell me why everyone is getting their under-boob out at the moment? Surely it isn't supposed to be sexy? I mean, look - I'm not exactly immune to the allure of boob, but no sane man is aroused by the sweaty crevices on the underside. They are quite literally the armpit of the boob. Bleuch.
Verse two: Now much happens here until, all of a sudden, the lights go down and...
Chorus two: At last, some dancing. Reminiscent of Jacko's The Way You Make Me Feel, this is stylish stuff, and the best moment of the video. I hope there's a dance-only edit.
Rain: It rains. Cheryl escapes to a diner. Soldiers watch longingly as she dances on the counter. Safety tip: Do not attempt this in real life. The counter can become quite slippery with milkshake.
Er, that's it: The song ends and Cheryl walks off. Oh.
There's a simple rule for girl band videos: Cut between a master take of the band together, and shots of the members performing solo. The inserts should be filmed against different backgrounds, each designed to show the girl's individual personality "in full effect", etc, etc.
The video for Little Mix's rip-roaring debut single Wings steadfastly adheres to this template. And here's what we learns (with apologies to the girls for the images, it's just that the video is jumps around so frenetically it's difficult to get a picture where one of them isn't pulling a funny face.)
PERRIE: Botanist. Sensitive to smells.
JESY: Failed her audition for Run-DMC.
JADE: Angry bow tie collector.
Back-up plan to become a clown if Little Mix go down the dumper.
LEIGH-ANNE: Shares a stylist with Kermit The Frog.
To be fair, the video does a great job - and you can't deny the brilliance of the song. But the best bits are the group bits, which is as it should be, is it not? Yes it is. Thank you.
Shocking news: Aluna from Alunageorge has abandoned George in a car park and recorded a song with Scottish dance demon Rustie.
Luckily, its only a temporary musical tryst - Aluna has just provided the top line for After Light, a stand-out instrumental from Rustie's award-nominated Glass Swords album.
The new lyrics turn the track into a euphoric ode to... well, something. I can't really decipher Aluna's drowsy R&B vocals. Can she really be singing "We are the night bus"???
Nontheless, this is a summer anthem in the making. Seven gold stars.
There's only two of them, but Alberta Cross are the rock equivalent of Google Earth. Behatted singer / guitarist Petter Ericson Stakee is from Sweden; bassist Terry Wolfers was born in London; the band is based in Brooklyn; and they're named after a province in Canada. How cosmopolitan.
Despite the geographical diversity, the duo's new single, Magnolia, is firmly rooted in the beer-soaked blues of middle America (although it does manage to sneak in a cheeky reference to Radiohead's Airbag via the bassline).
If you've ever had a delicate morning after a night on the rock and roll funbus, then this is a song for you. The first verse finds the band hiding under the duvet and "dragging down the morning sun". But, by the soaring climax, they've roped in a gospel choir to give daybreak a helping hand. It sounds like the gentlest, most blissful hangover of all time.
